Escape Plan, 2013.
Directed by Mikael Håfström.
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, 50 Cent, Jim Caviezel, Vinnie Jones, Sam Neill, Faran Tahir, Vincent D’Onofrio and Amy Ryan.
SYNOPSIS:
When a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world’s most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.
Over the last few years both Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have tried hard to revamp their careers. Stallone has done fairly well with his Expendables franchise and Schwarzenegger had cameos in both films, however on their own neither have found much success. Last year we saw The Last Stand with Schwarzenegger, which was decent, and Bullet to the Head with Stallone, which was not so great, and neither of those fared too well. Despite that, both actors tried once more, this time together in Escape Plan. It’s safe to say that Escape Plan is the best thing both actors have done in the last couple years, but that’s not really saying much either.
Here Stallone plays Ray Breslin, the best in the business when it comes to cracking prison escapes. He’s analyzed just about every high security prison and uses his skills to design escape-proof prisons. His skills are put to the test when he is framed and incarcerated in a master prison that he designed. The strict warden (Jim Caviezel) wants him there for the rest of his life, but with the help of an unlikely ally (Arnold Schwarzenegger) Breslin may have a shot at finding a way out.
This may be one of the most run of the mill action films to come out in a while and yet I couldn’t help but be interested throughout. Through all of the predictability and all of the times you have to suspend your disbelief, it does have it’ moments that make it worth watching. Right from the get go it’s hard to take the film seriously because Stallone is so miscast here it’s not even funny. However, despite him not giving a particularly good performance the chemistry between Stallone and Schwarzenegger is a definite highlight. In fact Schwarzenegger himself is the best part here, displaying a good amount of charisma and really making you remember why he was so much fun in his older films.
My biggest issue here is how little I actually cared about what was happening. Sure I was fairly interested most of the time and it definitely held my attention but the film never did anything that was memorable. It just felt like it was going through the motions until the inevitable outcome that I could easily tell was going to happen. Despite all its shortcomings the film does manage to have some decent action scenes and a nice amount of humor that definitely adds a little something. There’s also a talented supporting cast that sadly doesn’t get anything to do except for Jim Caviezel as the warden.
Escape Plan has its moments here and there but there’s nothing that sets it apart from other routine action films. While it had potential, it ends up being nothing more than a rental, unless you’re a really big Stallone or Schwarzenegger fan.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Jake Peffer
Originally published March 17, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
